Which garden shears do the job best?
A private house is a great place to relax, but maintaining its backyard territory requires a lot of effort. You need to constantly mow the grass, cut trees and shrubs. There are tools that can make these activities easy and enjoyable. These are garden shears of various modifications.
Types of garden shears and main selection criteria
Grass shears are mechanical and electric. They are used for:
- Flower garden care, rose pruning.
- Hedge formation and care.
- Mowing lawns and any grass.
How to choose the right model? For different types of work, different types of garden shears are needed. For cutting lawn grass and crowns of coniferous shrubs, hand-held scissors with a wavy cutting edge are suitable. For soft leaves and branches, a stubborn blade is suitable. To form a hedge, it is better to use scissors and a lopper.
On sale you can find garden tools from different manufacturers. The most popular of them:
- Fiskars;
- GARDENA;
- Yato;
- Intertool;
- FELCO;
- Verdi;
- Verano.
There are several types of mechanical scissors:
- Ordinary scissors;
- Loppers;
- Pole cutters;
- Swivel;
- With lever drive.
Secateurs are more popular than other types of garden tools. This is because they can replace scissors in many cases. Loppers and pruners are less popular. The most popular cutting diameter is 21-30 mm.
Many tools have additional features and capabilities:
- The return spring makes it easier to work with mechanical scissors by automatically returning the blades to their original position.
- The blade lock makes storing and transporting the tool safe.
- The presence of removable blades makes it possible to extend the life of the tool.
- Adjustment of knives and handles allows you to adjust the device to work in specific conditions.
- A finger loop helps securely hold the instrument.
- The ratchet mechanism distributes the load over the entire length of the blades and makes it easy to cut large diameter branches.
- The telescoping handle allows you to get into places that are not accessible to ordinary scissors, in particular, located high above the ground.
Most often, gardeners buy a whole set of scissors and secateurs. After all, each of the operations for the care of green spaces has its own characteristics and requires a specific approach. Some of the tools combine several functions.
Mechanical garden shears
Mechanical scissors are usually lighter than electric ones, but they require much more effort when working with them. In addition, they are cheaper than electric ones. Although models of mechanical scissors from different manufacturers can vary greatly in price. It also depends on the material from which the scissors are made, and a set of additional functions.
Fiskars 1020478 hand shears have 25 cm long serrated blades. They do not damage the tissue of the treated tree branches. The handle of the scissors is made of impact-resistant plastic, so you can work with them in any weather, even in the rain.
Fiskars PowerLeverTM 113710 hedge and grass clippers are designed for cutting hedges and lawn grass. The blade can be adjusted to the desired angle, so cutting with the lawn shears is easy, no need to stoop low. The blades are made from high strength stainless steel. During storage, they are blocked. The handle is made of reinforced fiberglass. The handles are long, 90 cm, tool width 20 cm, weight 1.4 kg.
Fiskars 113690 long grass shears are equipped with a servo system that prevents pinching when cutting thick branches. They can even be operated with one hand. You also don't need to touch the ground. Handle length 1 m. The cutting part rotates 360°. The weight of the scissors is only 600 g. The scissors cut quickly and efficiently. It is still better to work with gloves. The handle, although comfortable, can press the hand with prolonged use. The model has a lock.
Greenmill Classic scissors weighing only 90 g are designed for floristic work. They are easy to hold in your hand thanks to the plastic lining on the steel handles. The blades are made from high quality hardened steel. True, users note that the handles of the scissors are too flexible, do not hold their shape, so with their help you can only cut flowers, trim faded buds, thorns, and thorns. When cutting flowers for bouquets, such scissors split the cut, so they remain beautiful for a long time.
Reversible garden shears provide the ability to rotate the cutting unit by 180 °. At the same time, it can be fixed in several positions, for example, through 45 °, as in the rotary scissors Centroinstrument (0240). Their Teflon-coated blades are wave-shaped to prevent chewing on plant stems and tree branches. Handles of the device have protection for hands from injury by branches. The tool is intended for forming a hedge, consisting of branches up to 4 mm thick, and cutting grass. The lock of scissors protects from injury by blades in the closed state. Tool length 33 cm, cutting edge 13 cm, weight 400 g.
The design of the lever-operated hedge trimmers consists of two gear transmission mechanisms. One of them evenly distributes the force, the second helps to stabilize the work when cutting strong tree branches. The lever drive distributes the forces applied by the gardener over the entire length of the blades. With such scissors it is convenient to cut bushes, cut trees, form a hedge.
Grass shears from the Polish manufacturer Flo, model 99301, with a total length of 32 cm and a blade length of 13.8 cm, make it easy to process flower beds, terraces or lawn areas. The blades are comfortable to use thanks to the Teflon coating. It protects the metal from corrosion, grass residues and dirt do not stick to the work surface.
Electric scissors
For those who find it too difficult to cut the lawn with mechanical shears, it is better to purchase electric shears. In this case, the presence of a cord to connect to the outlet is not necessary at all. They run on lithium-ion batteries. Their operating time when fully charged is about 45 minutes. This charge is enough to treat a small area. Some manufacturers indicate the approximate length of the lawn edge that can be processed in one charge.
Most of the cordless garden shears come with blades for cutting grass and shrubs. They are made of durable hardened steel. With the help of such garden scissors, you can effortlessly trim the edge of the lawn. Then, changing the knife, form a crown of shrubs, giving them the desired shape. Cordless scissors are quite light, their weight is, depending on the model, 0.5-1 kg. The time for replacing knives in modern models is no more than a minute. At the same time, it is performed without the use of additional tools and equipment.
The rating of scissors is headed by the German model AL-KO Multi Cutter GS 3.7 Li. Its weight is 550 g. The length of the blades for cutting grass and bushes is 16 and 8 cm. Designed for curly cutting lawn grass and forming hedges.
The GRUNTEK AS-3 pruning shears model is also equipped with a pair of blades: for cutting grass with a length of 11.58 cm and for bushes with a length of 8 cm. Li-ion batteries with a capacity of 1.3 Ah with a voltage of 3.6 V memory effect. Tool weight 1 kg.
BOSCH ISIO cordless grass clipper with 1.3 Ah lithium-ion battery. A feature of the model is the BOSH SDS quick-change knife system. The maximum charging time is 5 hours. About 600 m of lawn edges can be processed per charge.
A bag for collecting mowed grass will allow you to combine a haircut with cleaning the site. In this case, the weight of the structure will increase slightly. The soft rubberized pad on the handle of the scissors will facilitate the work, which will not allow the device to slip in your hands.
- They need periodic recharging, which lasts about 5 hours.
- They can not be used in places remote from electrical networks.
Usually every house has power sources, so there are very few places where they cannot be used.
Secateurs are designed to remove branches of small diameter. They may have removable blades, wire cutters, opening locks, and anvils. Can be used for cutting hedges and shaping the crown of bushes.
The professional pruner Fiskars P90 PRO 111960 has an ergonomic shape. Its blades are made of durable Teflon-coated stainless steel, the handles are made of glass-fibre reinforced polyamide. The top blade is removable. The length of the tool is 23 cm, the diameter of the maximum cut is 2.6 cm. There are wire cutters and a blocker.
The Berger 1110 pruner, 22 cm long, is designed to cut branches up to 2 cm in diameter. The blades are made of forged steel with an anti-corrosion coating, the handle is made of forged aluminum. Secateurs weight 230 g. In addition, it is equipped with replaceable blades, a hook with a groove to drain the juice. There is a notch for cutting the wire, a latch for safe transportation.
The German manufacturer Original LOWE secateurs with an anvil has blades made of hardened steel with a Teflon coating. Designed for cutting branches up to 2.5 cm in diameter. Tool weight 270 g.
The Miol ratchet secateurs 99-010 can cut branches with a diameter of 3 cm. The length of the tool is 20 cm. There is a plastic retainer.
Pruners and pruners
High-rise lopper (high cutter) Acapulco QI 0937 (manufacturer Centroinstrument) is used for cutting branches at high altitude. The kit includes a retractable aluminum handle 235 cm long. It allows you to cut branches at a height of up to 363 cm. The cutting part with attached secateurs can be set in 8 positions. The tool can be used to cut branches. For this, a half-meter saw is designed. The weight of the pole cutter is 2.2 kg. Users claim that it is not easy to hold it on an outstretched hand. In addition, they would like the handle to be shorter when folded.
The Fiskars 115562 pole saw telescopic handle is adjustable from 2.3 to 4.1 m. The blade is made of stainless steel, the maximum cutting diameter is 3.2 cm. The cutting part rotates 230 °. The weight of the pole cutter is 1.1 kg.
When choosing a tool for caring for a site, they take into account the presence of trees on it, their height, the number of lawns, lawns, and flower beds. Decide if separate clippers are needed for cutting lawn, ornamental shrubs and hedges, or if you can get by with one. The right tool will make the job of caring for the site easy and enjoyable, and the result will delight the owners and their guests.